Cheese goes well with fruit, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that it goes well with a fruity beer too. The carbonation as well as its dry finish makes it a great food beer. I threw in a bit of prosciutto, dried apricots and other fruits, as well as 3 types of cheeses – parmesan, creamy blue and camembert.

330ml serve / 2.9% ABV

Second course: Panhead Xtra Pale Ale with Bread and Butter Pickles

Panhead started in Upper Hutt, launched out of the old Dunlop tyre factory; the brand has a distinct motorhead aesthetic. The pickles recipe comes from ‘Ladies, a Plate: Jams and Preserves’ so this is a collision of two worlds, re-working something a bit old-fashioned. When you try the two together – pow wow! You will want to eat this every time the sun shines.

165ml serve / 4.6% ABV

Third course: 8 Wired Saison Sauvin with Ceviche

The distinctive Nelson Sauvin hop has similar characteristics to Sauvignon Blanc, a wine that is often paired with seafood. This is the only Saison Sauvin I have come across, as one blogger says it is “a little bit special and very tasty”.

165ml serve / 7.0% ABV

Fourth course: Good George Rocket Coffee IPA and Vege Skewers with Satay Sauce

The chilli and peanut flavours really bring out the coffee notes in this beer, backed up by the caramelized notes of roasted kumara – it’s even vegan. What more could you hipsters possibly want?

This is an amazing food pairing beer, 9 malts are blended together to make Stonecutter, which is why you get so many layers of complexity from it. Add the warm spicy flavours of the pork and labneh, and this is foodie heaven.

165ml serve / 7.0% ABV

Sixth Course: Funk Estate Afrodisiac Stout and Cookies

Funk Estate’s most critically acclaimed beer to date, it’s an imperial stout that contains five aphrodisiac ingredients including chocolate, figs and maca root. Paired with these easy-like-Sunday-morning walnut and dark chocolate cookies. Yum!

Tonight, due to necessity (A.K.A. my resistance to the idea of either leaving the house or making an actual meal) and also creativity (A.K.A. my resistance to tidying my room, yes the truthful words of a 30-something procrastidrinker)…. I came up with this delightful pairing.

Something like that.

Champagne and strawberries is a bit of a cliché, but I am not here to deliver your stock standard.

#10 BEER BREAD, STRAWBERRY JAM + GARAGE PROJECT’S CHAMPAGNE PILSNER

I have tried making beer bread before, using a standard beer, but this time I decided to splash out on some quality ingredients. I’m telling you, it’s worth it!!! The smell of this beer bread cooking was fairly saliva inducing.

Maybe this in inadvertently inspired by Garage Project’s Beervana offering of Fairy Bread to match their 5th Birthday themed beers. This is kind of the adult version. I’m hoping they would approve.

I chose a pretty fancy sounding beer (Hops on Pointe was brewed for the Royal NZ Ballet) and initially I had an idea to pair it with something equally high brow. However, when searching the shelves for an appropriate beer to make a beer bread, this one seemed to fit. German malts, Nelson Sauvin hops, and Champagne yeast. A pale gold lager with a crisp, clean palate, rich tropical fruit aromas and tight champagne bubbles.

Hops on Pointe teases the traditional boundaries between high and low culture. I imagine drinking this with good friends and the resulting scene being like something from Absolutely Fabulous.

Ingredients:

330ml can of Hops on Pointe Champagne Pilsner

2 and 3/4 cups of self raising flour

3 tsp white sugar

friends (optional)

2 Tbsp coconut oil (or butter)

more Hops on Pointe Champagne Pilsner

strawberry jam and coconut butter (or whipped cream) to serve

Method:

Make sure your beer is at room temperature for the beer bread, or heat it up it slightly.

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Mix the first 3 ingredients in a bowl. Lightly grease a loaf tin with some coconut oil or butter, pour the bread batter in (it will be quite a wet dough) drizzle with a little more coconut oil or butter and bake for 50 mins.

Slice and serve while warm, with either coconut butter (I’m going for some vegan and dairy free options here, don’t judge me) or cream, and strawberry jam.

Match with Champagne Pilsner, and follow with red wine or anything else you desire.